The first production Ford Model T leaves the Piquette Plant in Detroit, Mich. It was the first car ever manufactured on an assembly line, with interchangeable parts. The auto industry was to become a major U.S. employer, accounting for as many as one of every eight to 10 jobs in the country .- Union Communication Services

One hundred and thirty full-time and part-time para-transit mobility drivers employed at First Transit’s new Sisson Street dispatch facility in Baltimore voted April 15, 2013 to become members of Teamsters Local 355.

Many of the new members were among former Veolia para-transit drivers represented by Local 355 who were laid off in February. Veolia Transportation issued a WARN notice in December 2012, expecting to lay off 80 employees when its contract with the State of Maryland awarded a portion of its business to First Transit. Seventy-eight Local 355 members—all recent hires—were laid off.

In mid-January, Local 355 organizers, with the invaluable assistance of Veolia shop stewards Darren Mason and Paul Carter, attended First Transit’s three-day job fair where more than 200 job seekers signed Teamster representation cards.

First Transit began operating out of the Sisson Street facility March 1, 2013.

A mail ballot election was conducted over a two-week period, with returned ballots counted Monday, April 15, 2013.